‘We want the mullahs gone’: economic crisis sparks biggest protests in Iran since 2022 31. December 2025 (20:13) Demonstrations against deteriorating living conditions have widened to include criticism of how Iran is governedAlborz, a textile merchant in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, decided he could no longer sit on the sidelines. He closed his shop and took to the streets, joining merchants across Iran who shuttered their stores and students who took over their campuses to protest against declining economic conditions.The sudden loss of purchasing power pushed Alborz and tens of thousands of other Iranians into the streets, where protests are now entering their fourth day. Students have paralysed university campuses, traders have shut down their stores and demonstrators have blocked off streets in defiance of police. Protests have spread from the capital, Tehran, to cities across Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK ministers accused of ‘embarrassing failures’ in Abd el-Fattah case 31. December 2025 (19:53) Government should have appointed an envoy to carry out checks on activist in citizenship row, says Emily ThornberryThe government could have avoided “embarrassing failures” in the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah by having a special envoy deal with complex cases involving Britons detained abroad, Emily Thornberry has said.The chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee criticised “serious shortcomings” in information sharing, which she said could have been resolved by having a dedicated official carry out background checks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian beef industry ‘extremely disappointed’ after China hits imports with 55% tariff 31. December 2025 (19:49) Levy on beef exceeding quotas to begin immediately as Beijing seeks to protect domestic industryAustralian beef producers said they were “extremely disappointed” after China announced a 55% tariff on imports that exceed quota levels in a move to protect a domestic cattle industry slowly emerging from oversupply.China’s commerce ministry said on Wednesday the total import quota for 2026 for Australia and other countries such as Brazil and the US covered under its new “safeguard measures” is 2.7m metric tons, roughly in line with the record 2.87m tons it imported overall in 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Greens’ Polanski prepared to work with Burnham but not Starmer ‘to stop Reform’ 31. December 2025 (19:38) Green party leader says he could see potential for political partnership with Labour under Andy BurnhamThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, has said he would refuse to work with Keir Starmer but could work with Andy Burnham, Starmer’s potential rival for the Labour leadership, to keep Reform out of power.Polanski said he would not enter a political partnership with Labour under the current prime minister, but would consider it if the mayor of Greater Manchester took the helm. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump attacks Walz and Omar after freezing Minnesota childcare funding 31. December 2025 (19:25) US president goes on racist tirade against lawmaker and Somali Americans, alleging fraud in industryDonald Trump took further aim at Minnesota’s Democratic governor Tim Walz and the Somali American representative Ilhan Omar on Wednesday in the wake of his administration’s decision to freeze federal childcare funding to their state.“Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia,” Trump alleged in a post on Truth Social, calling Omar “an ungrateful loser who only complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Documents suggest Kilmar Ábrego García was retaliated against after wrongful deportation 31. December 2025 (18:29) Judge said newly unsealed government documents show ‘some evidence’ of vindictive prosecution by DoJA newly unsealed order in the criminal case against Kilmar Ábrego García reveals that high-level justice department officials pushed for his indictment, calling it a “top priority”, only after he was mistakenly deported and then ordered returned to the U.S.Ábrego García, originally from El Salvador, has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Tennessee to charges of human smuggling. He is seeking to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution is vindictive – a way for the Trump administration to punish him for the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Waitrose urges customers not to drink Deeside water over shards of glass risk 31. December 2025 (18:21) Food Standards Agency issues product alert for still and sparkling 750ml bottles of Waitrose No 1 Deeside mineral waterWaitrose customers are being urged to return and not drink large bottles of Deeside mineral water over fears they could contain shards of glass.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a consumer alert over the still and sparkling 750ml bottles of Waitrose No 1 Deeside mineral water because of the possibility of glass fragments, making them unsafe to drink. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
European human rights court questions UK decision to strip Shamima Begum of citizenship 31. December 2025 (18:01) Begum’s lawyers argue she was child trafficking victim when she travelled to live under IS in Syria in 2015The European court of human rights has questioned the UK government over its 2019 decision to remove Shamima Begum’s British citizenship.Lawyers in Europe have asked how Begum’s treatment complies with the UK’s responsibilities to victims of trafficking. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boy, 16, arrested after explosive material found at Blackpool address 31. December 2025 (17:46) Bomb disposal specialists attend scene to assess items and several properties evacuated, say Lancashire constabularyA 16-year-old boy has been arrested after explosive material was found at an address in Blackpool.Lancashire constabulary said a number of properties had been evacuated as a precaution after officers found “a quantity of items of concern” at about 11.30am on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kennedy Center reportedly changed rules before vote to add Trump’s name 31. December 2025 (17:29) Bylaws that would limit voting to Trump-appointed trustees appears to reveal long-held renaming planThe Kennedy Center reportedly adopted bylaws earlier this year that would limit voting to Donald Trump-appointed trustees – a controversial move that appears to reveal the long-held plan to install Trump’s name to the center.The bylaws, in a possible breach of the institution’s charter, were revised in May and specified that board members appointed by Congress, known as ex-officio members, could not vote or count towards a quorum, according to the Washington Post. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
